The Wanderer of Worlds Book 1: The Ring of Power
by Kirigiya The Wanderer
Summary: The multiverse is a strange place. And in a time when the Light is losing against the Dark, a Guardian is called upon to tip the scales in favor of the forces of Good. Not a gary-stu. If someone could give me a cover image, you will have my gratitude.
1. Gadriel

**Alright, a new fic. I know you guys might have mixed feelings about me posting this fic, when I should be finishing my other, but I just had to write this. It came to me a while ago, and its been writing itself for so long, I had to put it down in writing. I hope you enjoy the new fic! Oh, and I don't own lotr.**

"Sam... Sam!" A male voice called out impatiently to a boy sitting next to a window.

"Wha?" Sam mumbled as he jumped, startled out of his daydream. It had been such a good one, too.

He looked around his English 2 classroom; apparently, he had been asked a question. Probably because he was paying more attention to the window pane next to him than the teacher's lecture.

"I said, give me an anti-hero who uses his intelligence to accomplish his goals. Hint: I just read a passage from a book that includes one," the short, balding man said to his student.

"Uh..." Sam muttered as he tried to gain his bearings. He wiped his sandy hair out of his gray eyes as he swallowed nervously. He never was good at being put on the spot. Just when he was about to answer, another boy raised his hand proudly.

"I know the answer, Mr. Ken!"

Mr. Ken waved him off.

"Let's let Mr. Gordon answer the question, Kyle,"

"Oh, its-" Sam started before the bell rang, signalling the end of classes for the day.

The class hastily got up, suddenly uncaring for the answer to Mr. Ken's question.

"Just tell me tomorrow," Mr. Ken called over the sea of departing students.

Sam nodded to him as he walked out of the door, heading to his bus. English may have been the easiest subject for the young 10th grader, but it sure was a bore. He sighed as he boarded his bus, sitting next to a short kid with short black hair and a smirk that never seemed to leave his face.

"Hey, Tom," Sam said to the boy, who was listening to music on his mp3.

"Hey, Sam," the boy replied after a moment, looking up from his device. "How's it going?"

"Same old, same old," answered Sam.

"English as boring as ever?" Tom asked as the bus began to leave the school.

"With Mr. Ken teaching? Definately, all he does is ramble on and on,"

Tom shook his head.

"That another Zeppelin reference?"

"Hey, don't bad mouth Zeppelin!" Sam said, exasperated.

Tom waved his hands in a calming gesture.

"I wasn't, honestly. But really, that all he does?"

"Yep,"

"Sucks for you,"

"Tell me about it. Well, this is my stop. See you tomorrow," Sam gave his friend a quick high five before leaving the bus.

"See ya tomorrow, Sam!" Tom called from the window as the bus drove down Sam's street.

When Sam got home, he grabbed a bowl of cereal before doing his homework. _'Sometimes I wish I could go back in time and send whoever thought of homework first through a wall.'_ he thought as he finished another equation. _'Sure, someone else would probably think of it later on, but it would make me feel so much better.'_ After he finished, he logged onto his computer, debating whether he should play Terraria, Minecraft, or World of Warcraft. He settled on the latter, logging into his paladin. After a few hours, he was called to dinner (chicken and rice) before taking a shower, and going into the living room to watch the TV.

He flipped through the channels for a while, stopping on the news. He saw a news anchor in front of a mall.

"And here at this location, just an hour ago, four people died in a shooting here at Willsons' Mall."

Sam shook his head, every time he looked at the news, something bad was happening in some part of the world.

_'Can't we all just get along? Is it that hard to be kind to others?'_ Sam sighed, shaking his head once more. _'I wish I could do something about all the hate and evil in this world, but I'm just a kid. What could I possibly do?'_

He watched the news for a moment longer, before flipping the channels again, settling on Supernatural.

"Man, I wish the show would resume already," he ground out as he watched Dean argue with a bird.

He stayed awake for a few more hours, going to bed around eleven o'clock. As he slept, he didn't notice a white light envelop him, shining brightly through the windows of his house. After a moment, the light was gone, and with it, Sam.

He awoke in a dark place, surrounded by nothingness. _'What's going on? Where am I?'_ he thought, looking around for any sign that would give him his location. After a moment of looking around, he noticed gray lines appearing around him, some close, some far away. They entersected, entertwined, giving the appearence of walls. Soon, he could make out archways, and then a giant, wooden door on the far wall.

_'Where... Where am I?'_ he wondered. This was unlike any dream he'd had previously.

"I believe I can answer that," a kindly, if slightly gruff voice said from behind him.

Sam jumped, turning around to the source of the voice. Approaching him was a tall man wearing robes of white, with a waistlength beard and a silver staff adorned with a lion's head. He had a noble, kindly face sporting a few wrinkles. Although he looked old and wizened, his sharp blue eyes held a fire in them that told Sam it would be foolish to try to harm the man; he was more powerful than Sam would ever know.

"You are in the Cathedral," the man said as he neared Sam.

"Cathedral?" Sam asked.

"It is the place I call home for now, and also our base of operations. It is protected against all things, magic or otherwise. There are only a few that I know of that could break these walls, and even they couldn't do so without loss,"

"What?"

The old man smiled then, chuckling softly to himself.

"It seems I've gotten a bit ahead of myself. My name is Gadriel, and it is very nice to meet you, Sam,"

"How do you know my name?" Sam was, to be entirely honest with himself, more than a little freaked out by this strange man.

"I know many things about you," Gadriel replied. "It is my job to know everything about the Guardians, after all,"

"What's a Guardian?"

"Ah, and now we get to the meat of the matter," Gadriel began to sit, and a chair materialized under him.

He motioned for Sam to sit down as well, and before Sam's eyes, a wooden, high-backed chair appeared behind him. Nervously, he sat.

"Now, to begin, what do you know of parallel universes?" Gadriel started.

"Well," Sam said, thinking it over. "I know they're unconfirmed, and that there is supposedly a universe for any event that can ever happen, in any order. Going from this, there are infinite universe, each with their own unique set of events,"

Gadriel seemed pleased by Sam's answer.

"Good, you don't know how many times I have to explain that to people. But, I digress. Anyway, yes, there are multiple universes, each with their own timeline. But, two things are consistant throughout the multiverse. One: Light and Dark are always battling each other for suremacy. And two: The Light is losing. No matter where you look, the Dark is almost always defeating the Light. This is where the Guardian comes in,"

"The Guardian is a champion chosen for the Light to battle the forces of evil, and turn the tide in favor of good. He, or she, travels the multiverse in search of evil, and combats it,"

"What does this have to do with me?" Sam asked, already suspecting the answer.

Gadriel gave Sam a knowing look.

"You are the next guardian, Sam,"

"But, I can't be a... a guardian! I have a family, and-" Sam's rant was cut off by Gadriel holding up his hand.

"It is not beyond my power to send you back home, just a mere minute after you disappeared,"

That calmed Sam down a bit. He nodded, slowly comng to terms with what he was about to do.

"Well, then. I'll try to hurry up and finish defeating the Dark, then. Let's get started,"

Gadriel smiled at that.

"It's been a long time since I've seen someone so excited about the role as Guardian. But, you must wait a moment. You are defenseless, and a champion must know how to defend himself,"

With another wave of his hand, a sword appeared on a table in between them, within a gilded sheath.

Sam looked at the sword, it wouldn't look out of place on a Lord of the Rings set, and it looked just the right size for him. He slowly reached his hand out to it, before looking to Gadriel for consent.

"You may hold it, Sam. I made it speicially for you,"

Sam nodded as he grabbed it, rubbing his hand along the sheath for a moment, before running his fingers on the silver hilt, and finally grasping the handle, which held a black grip, and a silver pommel.

"Is it to your liking?" Gadriel inquired.

Sam ould only nod; this sword was beautifully crafted, and seemed sturdy enough to take a variety of blows.

"You will stay here for the equivalent of two Earth months, and in that time, I shall teach you how to wield that sword,"

"Alright, Gadriel. I'm ready to begin immediately,"

_Two Months Later_

Sam stood in front of Gadriel, wearing his gray jacket and jeans, as he waited for Gadriel to speak.

"Well," Gadriel began. "You've learned much in these past months, and you are one of the more gifted swordsman I've had the pleasure to teach,"

"I'm not that great, Gadriel," Sam chuckled.

"Ever modest, Sam. Either way, its time you got to your first assignment,"

"Can you tell me anything about the universe I'm going to?" Sam asked, already knowing the answer.

Gadriel chuckled at that.

"You know I can't tell you anything, you have to find and battle the Dark on your own,"

Sam waved him off.

"Yea, I know. Ancient contracts drawn up before my solar system came into being. I understand,"

"Good. Now, stand back,"

Sam backed away from Gadriel as the elderly man made complicated gestures with his arms, muttering in an unfamiliar language. After many minutes, a shimmering appeared in the air, and Sam could glimpse a forest through it, under clear skies.

"You may now enter the portal, Sam,"

Sam nodded, approaching the portal.

"I'll see you when I'm done here, Gadriel," Sam said with determination.

Gadriel nodded.

"Yes, I will be expecting you,"

Sam slowly reached his hand into the portal, feeling a cold wind brush past his fingertips.

"Oh, and Sam,"

"Yes?" he replied, his leg already through the portal.

"Please don't die,"

"I won't,"

And he stepped into the portal.

A bright light blinded him as he arrived at his destination. He shielded himself with his arm as he looked around. He was in an area with rolling hills, a few groups of tightly packed trees, and a river in the distance, with a rocky, desolate landscape across it.

Sam heard Gadriel's voice, seemingly on the wind.

"Welome, Sam, to Middle Earth!"

**And that's a wrap! First chapter down. I believe this one is my second longest, which is nice, considering all of my interuptions. Next chapter will see Sam meeting the Fellowship, but I think I'll be writing this towards the end of the first book, because the whole "Oc crashing into the council of Elrond" thing is just overdone, I feel. Until next time!**


	2. Middle Earth, Here I Come!

**Here we go again, two chapters in two days. Not bad, this is my longest chapter to date, yes! Alright, in this chapter, we get to see some action. Oh, I don't own LOTR. On with the story!**

"Middle Earth, now why does that sound familiar?" Sam wondered aloud as he gained his bearings.

One of the drawbacks of sending someone to another universe was the one who is sent to the universe, loses all memory of said universe. As Sam looked around, he noticed he was wearing different clothes than the ones he was wearing when he stepped through the portal. His gray jacket was replaced with a navy colored tunic, his jeans with leggings that matched his tunic, his sneakers with sturdy leather boots, and his undershirt was now white. His sword, which he had yet to name, was strapped to his back, the hilt reaching just beyond his left shoulder.

"Not bad," he murmered as he looked himself over. "Now all I have to do is find evil, and defeat it," he snorted. _'Easier said than done.'_

He turned his head as he heard movement in the trees around him. A man emerged from the trees, looking worried. He had shoulder length black hair flecked with gray, a forest green cloak, and a matching tunic. Sam was put on guard when he noticed the man also had a large sword belted to his waist.

The man approached Sam, immediately drawing his sword.

"Where is he?" he demanded harshly.

"Where is who?" Sam asked, cautiously raising his hands.

"You know of whom I speak, minion of Sauron!"

Sam thought that asking the man who Sauron was might be a bad idea. _'He looks really stressed out.'_

"I'm sorry, sir. But I just arrived here," Sam explained to the man. Something about him told Sam that he wasn't an enemy. "Maybe if you tell me what's going on, I can help,"

The man stared hard at Sam for what seemed like forever. After a time, he bowed his head.

"I do not sense you are evil. Forgive me for my brashness. My name is Aragorn,"

Sam reached out his hand, which Aragorn took.

"Nice to meet you, Aragorn. I'm Sam," he said warmly.

Aragorn smiled at that.

"That makes you the second person I've met with that name,"

Sam groaned. He hated when people had the same name as him, it always got so confusing.

"Great. Now, what's the problem?"

Aragorn jumped, as if reminded of some urgent task that required his immediate attention. He began hurridely walking again, Sam falling in step behind him.

"My charge, a hobbit named Frodo, has gone missing. The Enemy has more than enough reason to seek him out and cause him harm. We were journeying with a few companions, when we stopped to rest. We talked for a moment, debating our next course of action, when Frodo said he needed to be alone to think things over. That was over an hour ago. And now, another of our group has gone missing as well. It is imperative that he is found as soon as possible," Aragorn explained, expertly dodging tree roots and low-hanging branches.

_'What's a hobbit?'_ Sam wondered as he clumsily kept up with Aragorn.

"Alright, I'll help as best I can. Let's find your friend," Sam said, picking up speed.

Together, the two searched much of the forest, finally stopping at a few ruins. They must have been grand at one time, but now had been ravaged by the flow of time.

"Where could he be?" Sam asked, panting slightly.

Aragorn was lost in thought for a moment, before he knelt down before a set of stone steps.

"He was here, recently. Hobbits don't leave footprints when they are loth to be found, but he left some here, faintly. Something must have happened to him on his way here, perhaps it lead him here. But something isn't right with him. It seems our situation has just become dire," he said, straightening up and gazing upon the ruins.

"Could he still be here?" Sam asked.

"Perhaps... wait here," Aragorn commanded, before he began walking around the ruins, Sam eventually losing sight of him.

Having nothing better to do, Sam sat upon the stone steps, wishing he could hurry this quest up already. He couldn't wait to get home. He supposed he could leave, but something told him to stay with Aragorn, he seemed to be a champion in his own right.

Sam sighed, bored. A minute passed, and Sam thought he heard something in the trees, but it was too faint to make out. As the minutes grew longer, the sound grew louder and louder. What was once a faint thummping was now a roaring thunder. Hastily, Sam stood, firghtened.

He grasped his sword, ready to draw it at any moment. He waited with bated breath for whatever it was that was coming at him, because whatever it was, it wasn't a bunny or other such woodand creature. He didn't have to wait long, as about a minute later, a group of figures emerged from the trees. Sam gasped as he saw them.

They were tall, broad-shouldered, with grotesque faces and pointed teeth. Their bodies were covered head to toe in heavy, dark colored armor. What little Sam could see of their skin was dark and mottled. Some had swords and shields, others, bows. They all bore the same crest: a large, white hand was in various places on their armor. On their shields, helmets, arms, and chestplates.

As they caught sight of Sam, they immediately readied their weapons, and stopped their march. Sam gulped as he stood alone against multiple foes. But he couldn't run, there were too many and would catch him. Also, if he ran, he would be leaving Aragorn to the mercy of these creatures. Sam was many things, but he wasn't a coward who abandoned his friends. Although he hadn't known Aragorn long, Sam knew that he was a greater man than any he had met back home.

Taking a deep breath, Sam slowly drew his sword. It hissed as he removed it from the sheath, ready to fight and kill in its first battle. As he readied his blade, the sunlight glinted off it and into the faces of his adversaries. Taking this as a cue to attack, they all began running at him.

_'Remember what you've learned. Don't be afraid. Fight to kill, not wound.'_ Sam thought as he got into his stance. Gadriel hadn't taught him how to fight multiple enemies at once, so Sam guessed he'd have to improvise. As they neared him, he backed away, up the ruined steps. They were narrow, allowing only two or three of these broad monster up at a time.

_'Well, I guess that's as good as it gets. Time to start fighting.'_

As they neared him, the middle enemy slashed downwards, with the other two trying to hit him from the side. He quickly rolled to his right, stabbing one foe as he rose. He knew his other foes would still be attacking, so using his right foot, he kicked off what was once a wall, slamming into the enemy in the middle of the procession, sending the left-most monster off the steps. He crashed to the ground with the creature he jumped into, hastily scrambling up and putting more distance between him and the enemy.

They stood apart, catching their breath, as the creature Sam knocked over stood back up and rightened his helmet. Just when the enemy began to charge again, the sound of steel clashing agaisnt steel was heard from below the steps, causing the combatants to halt for a moment and look to see what was happening. Aragorn was down on the ground, fighting and slaying the rest of the enemy force. By himself. Sam mentally whistled; that guy sure was a monster.

Sam slit the throat of a creature as they charged him again, shoving it back into its comrades. Taking the opportunity that was given him as the creatures were momentarily stopped, Sam turned and jumped off the ruins, rolling to a stop behind Aragorn.

"What are these things?" he asked as he got up, standing next to Aragorn as the man mericlessly decapitated another foe.

"Servants of the Enemy. Uruk-Hai," Aragorn answered, stabbing another Uruk in the chest.

Sam shook his head, this world sure was strange. With a battle cry, he rejoined the fight, slaying the Uruks alongside Aragorn. After a minute or two, it became painstakingly obvious who the better swordsman was between the two of them. While Sam could only engage one at a time, exchanging a few blows before killing a Uruk, Aragorn was fighting two or more at a time, killing all within a couple blows. But soon, they began to get overwhelmed, the sea of enemies seperating them from each other as they struggled to survive. Sam gaped as he saw Aragorn tackled to the ground out of the corner of his eye. A Uruk, seizing the opportunity of Sam's momentary weakness, punched him in the face with his ironclad fist, sending the boy across the ground.

Sam slowly raised his head, seeing the Uruk that punched him running towards him, sword ready to end his short life. _'My journey has barely begun! I can't die here!'_ He mentally screamed as he raised himself on one knee, sword raised to block an incoming blow from overhead. He was rewarded by the sound of sword crashing agaisnt sword, before he felt a metal boot kick him in the stomach, knocking the breath out of him. Bent over on his hands and knees, he saw the shadow of the one who would kill him raise his sword, before he crumpled to the ground.

Sam looked up, he saw Aragorn up and fighting again, enemies falling all around, and two newcomers who had joined the fray. One of them, a tall man with pointed ears and blonde hair, made his way to Sam.

"Hello, my name is Legolas," he greeted as he offered Sam a hand.

"Sam," he grunted as he was pulled to his feet.

All around him, the Uruks were either dying, or running into the forest.

"Have we won?" Sam questioned as he noticed the Uruks fleeing.

"I wouldn't think so, lad," the short newcomer with a helmet and big, bushy red beard said. "There were enough to kill us all. No, someone, probably their leader, called them away. We must make chase, they may be after Frodo!" he began to sound loud and worried towards the end of his little speech.

"What is so important about this Frodo, again?" Sam inquired.

The three adults looked at each other for a moment, before Aragorn spoke up.

"He is not with the enemy, he has risked his life for something he knows nothing about. We owe him this,"

Legolas nodded as Gimli began to speak.

"We'll tell you later, laddie, we must deal with this first,"

Sam nodded, he could understand that. But when they were done here, he was going to get answers.

As they began making their way in the direction of the Uruks, a loud horn was heard blowing in the distance. The group froze.

"The horn of Gondor," Legolas said in a rush.

"Boromir!" Aragorn said gravely, before they dashed off with renewed energy.

Sam struggled to keep up, having never had reason to sprint in a forest littered with ruins before. They met a few Uruks along the way, but those were easily dispatched. As they neared the sound of the horn, Aragorn began overtaking them, leaving the Uruks to them to slay. Soon, he was out of sight as Sam, Legolas, and Gimli fought the Uruks the man had left behind.

"What's so important about that horn?" Sam asked as he parried a downward slash from a Uruk with one hand.

"Our comrade owns it. He would only blow it when in dire need," Legolas explained as he shot a Uruk in the eye with his bow.

"Aye," Gimli added. "Aragorn knows we can take care of these rascals,"

_'Rascals?'_ Sam thought as he stabbed his opponent in the heart. _'What constitutes a fully matured monster to these guys?'_ Even now, he was struggling to keep up with his opponent's swings. His arms grew heavy, and he knew he couldn't fight for much longer. After a sloppy thrust, Sam's sword was knocked from his grasp. As he began to retrieve it, the Uruk he was fighting grabbed him by the throat, lifting him into the air. He could tell it was amused as it slowly crushed the life out of him. As his vision began to darken, he heard yelling distantly before he blacked out.

Sam awoke next to the river he had seen when he had first arrived in Middle Earth. The sun had not yet set, but he could tell it had been some hours since he had been knocked out. He hastily sat up, wincing as he rubbed his throat. There was already a bruise forming. Looking around, he noticed the three he had fought with sending a boat out into the river, and sadly watching as it flowed towards a waterfall. Sam decided to keep quiet until they were done, it seemed they were grave and sorrowful. Sam hoped nothing dreadful had happened, although with the evidence, someone may have died.

After the ship had gone over, the trio turned, and walked back to Sam, downcast.

"Who?" Sam asked softly. Grief was a terrible thing to experience.

"Boromir," Aragorn replied gruffly.

"I'm sure he was a great man," Sam consoled.

"He died protecting the hobbits, he died with honor,"

Sam nodded, sighing. It seemed that good men never lived as long as evil men did. He wondered if there were any statistics that might prove this thought, but he figured it could wait.

"What do we do now?" Gimli asked. "Go after Frodo, as was our mission from the start, or chase the Uruk-Hai in an effort to save Merry and Pippin?"

"Can someone please explain to me what is going on?" Sam asked, not trying to sound rude.

Legolas cleared his throat.

"I will explain,"

And so the elf, as Sam learned he was, told Sam a tale about a Dark Lord, a Ring, Hobbits, wizards named Gandalf and Saruman, their quest to destroy the One Ring, and their most recent tragedy.

Sam sat in silence for a moment, lost in thought. _'Well, if this isn't my job in this universe, I don't know what is.'_

"Alright, what's our next move?" Sam asked the group at large.

"Frodo... Frodo is beyond our reach now," Aragorn began quietly.

"We can't leave Merry and Pippin to torment and death. Not while we have strength left," he said as he bustled about, cheacking his weapons before sheathing them. He walked over to Gimli and Legolas, placing his hands on their shoulders. Sam may not know these people, but it was his job to help them, and he couldn't just stand idly by as innocents were tortured and killed. He stood, determination welling in his eyes.

"I'm in,"

The trio looked to him, sizing him up.

"We will need all the help we can get," Legolas commented.

"Alright laddie, you've proved to me you've got what it takes, let's go," Gimli said, anxious to leave in pursuit of the Uruks.

Aragorn stared a moment longer at Sam, before nodding.

"We travel light. Let's hunt some orc,"

Gimli gave a shout of delight, and as one, the group dashed through the trees, on the trail of the Uruks.

**Well, that's another chapter down! Updates may slow from here on out, we'll see. Oh, if one of you artiscally gifted readers out there wants to make a cover page for this story, well, this is me begging. Until next time!**


	3. On the Trail of the Hobbits

**Alright, new chapter. I wonder when my updates will slow down? I don't know, I've had this story in my head for a while now. I don't own LOTR, blah blah. On with the story!**

Sam had to admit, hunting the Uruk-Hai was the most exhausting thing he had ever experienced in his life. The months he had spent training with Gadriel were tough, but he had never trained much in endurance. Looking back, he supposed he should have as he struggled to keep pace with Gimli, in the back of the group. They'd been running for a solid day, with little to no breaks, Sam honestly couldn't remember. It felt like a year since they'd first started their hunt. Just earlier, at their last break, Legolas had told them that the Uruks were taking the hobbits to Isengard, home of Saruman. Now, they passed through a lush, rocky land as they crossed into Rohan.

"Come on laddie, there's no way you're going to let an old dwarf best you in a race, is there?" Sam heard Gimli puff from beside him.

"I'm hanging back on purpose, didn't want you feel lonely back here," Sam retorted through pants.

Gimli made a weird huffing sound, which Sam took for laughter. He grinned, at least someone was optimistic about their hunt. Sam took as deep a breath as he could, urging himself to go faster. Slowly, but surely, he began to outstrip Gimli, and come closer to the taller hunters. To his dismay, however, he couldn't catch up to Legolas and Aragorn, no matter how hard he tried. Upon realizing this, he grit his death, determined to improve his stamina. After a few more minutes of running, Aragorn called for them to a halt, which Sam did gladly.

Sam turned to the side, resting his hands on his knees as he vomited into the grass. As he finished, he felt Gimli patting him on the back.

"There there, laddie. You really aren't that fit of a runner, are you?"

Sam cleaned the bile off his mouth before answering.

"I am, but it seems you guys are on a whole new level, though I suppose living in a war-torn world has some benefits," Sam replied.

"Speaking of that, where is your homeland, Sam?"

Sam felt his blood chill slightly at that. He hadn't thought of a cover story, even during all of that running. Mentally bereting himself, he pointed towards Aragorn.

"What's he found over there?"

Gimli turned, getting a better view of what Aragorn was doing.

"Let's find out," he muttered, making his way toward Aragorn.

Sam grimaced, he didn't feel much like moving right now. But, remembering he was being physically outmatched by dwarf, Sam jogged over to Aragorn, trying his best to think of anything besides the pain in his legs.

"What've you found, Aragorn?" he asked as he came to a stop behind the ranger.

Aragorn held up something small, glinting in the sunlight. It looked like a leaf, but Sam couldn't see the importance of it.

"Not idly do the leaves of Lorien fall," he whispered, pocketing the leaf.

At Sam's questioning look, Aragorn began to explain.

"These broaches are pinned to our cloaks, we got them in Lorien. The broaches, being elf work, will not fall off the cloak unless forcibly removed. The hobbits are leaving us a trail,"

Sam nodded, understanding. That was a pretty smart move on the part of the hobbits.

"So... we trek on?" Sam asked, nodding in the direction the Uruks had gone.

"Yes. Let's move,"

_'Yay, more running.'_

And so, the quartet dashed on, the finding of the elven broach renewing their strength.

Sam focused on other, trivial things as they ran. Remembering his life on Earth, his friends, family, everything. Thinking of these things gave him the strength to carry on in times like this, where he was exhausted, mentally and physically. As he tried to remember what a hamburger tasted like, the quartet heard the sound of hoofbeats in the distance. Sensing trouble, Aragorn bade them all to hide behind a rock as the sound of horses grew steadily louder. As Sam waited with the others, a host of cavalry emerged from behind the rock, continuing on their way, taking no notice of Sam and the others. Sam sighed in relief; they wouldn't be slaughtered by an army today.

But to his dismay, Aragorn leapt out from behind the rock, calling out to them.

"What is he doing?" Sam whispered to the other two as they ran out of hiding, joining Aragorn.

"Do not be afraid, Aragorn is a great man, and I trust him with my life," Legolas said from beside him as they came to a stop, the horsemen turning around and beggining to surround them. The cavalry all aimed either spears or bows at them in an intimidating manner. The army closed in on them as a tall man riding a chestnut-colored horse, with a helmet bearing white horse hair, stepped forth.

"What business does an elf, a man, a dwarf, and a boy have in the Riddermark? Speak quickly!" he demanded.

Sam narrowed his eyes when the man called him a "boy". He was nearly sixteen, for goodness' sakes.

"Give me your name, horse master, and I shall give you mine," Gimli said calmly in the midst of these men with unkown intent.

Sam had to give it to the dwarf, he had stones.

The man stared hard at Gimli for a moment, before slowly dismounting his steed.

"I would cut off your head, dwarf, if it stood but a little higher from the ground," the man sneered.

Sam was about to retort with an insult of his own, when Legolas beat him to it. In a flash, the elf had his bow aimed at the man, arrow nocked and ready. Elf or no, that was impressive. At least to Sam, and Gimli it seemd as well, considering the dwarf's facial expression.

Aragorn chose this time to intervene, lowering Legolas' bow and talking in elvish to him. Aragorn turned back to fae the man, speaking calmly.

"I am Aragorn, son of Arathorn. This is Gimli, son of Gloin. Sam, a traveler from a distant land. And Legolas of the woodland realm. We are friends of Rohan, and of your king, Theoden,"

The man seemed subdued at that, casting his gaze upon the ground.

"Theoden no longer recognizes friend from foe... Not even his kin," he finished quietly, taking off his helmet, exposing long blonde hair that reached just below his shoulders. The rest of the horseman took this as a cue to relax, lowering their weapons and backing off

"Saruman has poisoned the mind of the king and claimed lordship over these lands," the quartet looked at each other; that was news to them, indeed.

"My company are those loyal to Rohan, and for that, we are banished. The white wizard his cunning," he said, looking into each of their eyes as he spoke.

"He walks here and there they say, as an old man, hooded and cloaked. And everywhere his spies slip past our nets," he nearly hissed the last part, glaring at Legolas and Gimli in partiular.

"We are no spies," Aragorn replied, not showing any sign of stress at all.

"We track a party of Uruk-Hai westward across the plain; they've taken two of our friends captive,"

"The Uruks are destroyed," the man replied quickly. "We slaughtered them during the night,"

"But there were two hobbits! Did you see two hobbits?" Gimli exclaimed.

"They would be small, you might seem them as kids," Sam supplied.

The man shook his head.

"We left none alive. We piled the carcasses and burned them," he said, gesturing to smoke rising in the distance behind him. "I am sorry,"

They stood there a moment, all hope slowly disolving within them. The man looked up and whistled, calling the names of three horses.

As they approached, Eomer handed the reins to Aragorn.

"I hope they serve you better than their preious masters," he said, mounting his own steed.

He signaled his men to move, and within minutes, the riders were but specks on the horizon.

"Let us hurry, we may yet find them there," Legolas said, mounting a horse bare-backed.

Sam looked up at the horse before him, slightly nervous. He'd only ever ridden one once before, at a faire. As he looked around, he noticed the others were mounted already, with Gimli seated behind Legolas. Sam grit his teeth. Riding a horse was probably like riding a bike; you never forgot.

Gathering his courage, he mounted the beast, softly patting its sides.

"Are you ready?" Aragorn asked him from his horse.

"As ready as I'll ever be, let's go," Sam answered, flicking the reins.

And with that, the group hastily made their way down the trail of the Uruks, clinging to what little hope they had left that their search was not in vain. As they neared the scene of the slaughter, an intense smell of death and decay assaulted their nostrils, Sam recoiling slightly. They passed a mounted Uruk head before dismounting.

"Search for anything that may give us clues as to what befell the hobbits," Aragorn ordered as he searhed the bodies.

Sam, trying to ignore the fact that he was rummaging around Uruk bodies, set to work. The search, however, proved useless. Sam couldn't find anything other than Uruk armor and weapons. He looked up, wiping sweat from his brow, when he noticed Gimli pull something out of the smouldering pile of bodies.

"A belt!" Gimli called, gathering everyone's attention as they hastily made their way toward them.

"It's really small, did it belong to the hobbits?" Sam asked, trying to get a better look.

Gimli nodded sadly in confirmation. The group all bowed their heads in grief. They had failed.

**And that's another chapter down! Alright, I'm done asking for a cover image, I don't really care all that much. But there is one thing I will ask: What should Sam name his sword? Please leave a review with what you think the sword should be named. (Actually, I wouldn't mind any reviews, I get the feeling nobody reads this fic.) *Insert sadface. Until next time!**


	4. If I Fail

**Hey everyone! Sorry I'm late. I'm just getting over writers' block, so yeah. Trying to get back into the swing of things. You know, I was thinking. If this fic had an opening, like on a cartoon or anime, the theme for the first book/season would be Worth Dying For by Rise Against. Check it out! You won't regret it. Anyways... Disclaimer: I don't own the LOTR, blah blah. On with the story!**

_'How is this possible? We were supposed to save them.'_

The thought ran over and over again in Sam's mind as he surveyed the burning Uruk carcasses, sitting with his back leaning on a tree on the edge of a forest. Fangorn, he thought Legolas had called it. Putting the weird name aside, he once more focused on the death of the hobbits. While he hadn't known them personally, he knew that the other three were fond of them, and knew it must have been a heavy blow to find that they were dead.

He sighed, staring into the sky. He was supposed to go to these places to help people, and here he was, sitting against a tree. He was supposed to be useful, and at that moment, he sure didn't feel like he was. He lowered his head, resting it in his hands. Perhaps he could still save this world; there was still a war going on, after all. He needed to get to the nearest civilization, preferrably somewhere that strove with all its power to combat the forces of the dark. But, he couldn't leave his companions here alone, either. They would have to come with him, but would they want to? Aragorn would, he knew. But, would the death of the hobbits change that? Would they prefer to stay and grieve a while longer?

Sam sighed, he needed to hurry up. While he was engrossed in his thoughts, he distantly heard Aragorn call out. He, and the other two, had decided to search the site a while longer.

Sam approached Aragorn, nearing him at the same time as Legolas and Gimli.

"What is it, Aragorn?" Sam asked the kneeling ranger.

"Look here," Aragorn motioned with his hand toward some trampled grass. "What do you see?"  
"Uh... Grass?" Sam said with uncertainty in his voice.

Gimli looked as confused as he was, while Legolas' face was lighting up in realization.

"The hobbits were here," Aragorn said, and began walking away, back bowed and head low, searching the ground. "They tried to escape, it seems. They made it over here, their bonds were cut," he picked up a bit of rope for a moment before dropping it again. "It leads this way!" he cried, following the trail with his companions on his heels.

The short trail led them a few yards away from the burning corpses, eventually ending on the edge of Fangorn forest. The group stood in silence; Fangorn was a legendary forest, few dared to brave it and escape unscathed.

"So, they're in there?" Gimli asked.

Legolas nodded.

"And we're going in there?" Sam asked.

Another nod. Sam took a deep breath, they could still save the hobbits.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go," Sam said, marching into the forest.

He barely made it past the first trees before he was pulled back out, stumbling and falling onto his rear.

"What the heck, guys?"

"Sorry for that," Aragorn said, a hint of mischief in his eyes. "But we cannot enter yet. Even as we speak, night falls. Let us make camp here, and continue on tomorrow, we need to rest before resuming the chase,"

Sam nodded, staring at his feet. He supposed he should be standing back and letting the adults figure things out. He hated feeling helpless, but perhaps letting others make decisions for him was better for now, as he knew almost nothing of this world.

They set up camp by the time the sun had set, using dead branches that they found on the ground as firewood. After a quick meal, they rested on the edge of the forest, sleep easily claiming them.

_Sam awoke in his bed, sunlight filtering in the windows. He inhaled slowly; the entire thing had been a dream. His training with Gadriel, meeting Aragorn, fighting orcs, all of it. He yawned as he stretched, climbing out of the bed. As he rose, he noticed he was in jeans and a t-shirt, not clothing he'd normally wear to bed. He shrugged, just putting it up as an oddity, but nothing more. He casually walked throughout his house, relieved that he was finally back home._

_ "Mom... Dad?" he called, looking around._

_ No response. In fact, the more he searched, the more he realized he was alone. No one, not even his dog, was to be found. He ran to the back door in a panic, throwing the door open and stepping outside. He squinted as the sunlight turned harsh. As he struggled to see, he noticed that nobody was outside either, his whole neighborhood was devoid of people._

_ "What the heck is going on here?" he asked himself, fear gnawing him. On a whim, he turned around, and suddenly he was in the sky above his home. He could see far in many directions, but only one place caught his attention._

_ City Hall was glowing a sinister purple as small lavender tendrils began snaking their way around the building, pulsating at regular intervals. Sam's eyes widened as the tendrils began spreading, wrapping around everything in the town, heading towards his home. As he looked, he saw his parents heading to the front door, fumbling with the house key as the tendrils approached from behind._

_ Sam tried to scream, to warn them, but no sound came forth. He was forced to wath as the tendrils of evil wrapped around his parents, was unable to avert his eyes as they slowly swelled, bodies blowing up like balloons. He was frozen as the tendrils constricted them, his parents glowing slightly before exploding in a horrific display of gore._

_ He felt tears slide down his face as he looked around his town, now engulfed in flames as loud screaming issued forth._

_ "This is what happens if you fail," he heard the voice of Gadriel, slowly fading away._

_ Sam wiped his tears as he looked down, this couldn't be happening! He gasped as the world opened up beneath him, fiery depths awaiting his arrival._

_ "Hell," he whispered as he began falling directly into the pit._

_ "I've... Failed," he uttered as the flames claimed him, the earth covering the space over him and leaving him alone, in darkness._

Sam awoke to someone shaking him hard. He sat up straight, blinking rapidly. As his eyes adjusted to the semi-darkness he had awoken to, Sam felt wetness on his cheeks. Quickly rubbing them off, he noticed Gimli in front of him, Aragorn and Legolas on the outskirts of the camp, searching for something. As Sam saw them, he was instantly relieved; the events of his nightmare had yet to come to pass, and he would make sure they never would.

"What is it, Gimli?" Sam muttered tiredly.

Gimli looked at him in concern for a moment, probably considering on whether or not to ask him if he was alright, before he seemed to remember why he had woken Sam up the way he had.

"It seems we've had a visitor."

**And that's a wrap! Another chapter down, yes! Sorry about the long delay, I'd kinda lost inspiration on my fics for a while. But don't worry, I should be better at updating from now on. Oh, and I'm going to be posting a poll on my profile, about what world Sam should go to next. The story isn't even half over yet, but this way I should get more votes. Thanks for reading, see you guys next chapter!**


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